“Turtles All the Way Down” follows the story of Aza Holmes, a high school student dealing with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. Green portrays Aza’s struggles realistically and sensitively.
The novel presents the readers with her obsessive thoughts surrounding microbes and contamination, providing an authentic depiction of OCD’s impact on everyday activities and relationships. Friendships are tested. Family bonds strain under Aza’s intrusive thought patterns.
Balancing humor with honesty, Green gives insight into the repetitive loops of anxiety and obsessive thoughts that define life with OCD, allowing readers to empathize deeply with the character.
Patrick Ness’ “The Rest of Us Just Live Here” offers an unconventional look at young-adult fiction by capturing the lives that often go unnoticed.
While typical fantasy heroes battle mythical elements in the background, the story foregrounds Mikey, who struggles intensely with anxiety and OCD symptoms.
Through Mikey, readers see how debilitating cycles of obsessive thinking can affect everything from friendships to self-esteem.
Heartfelt and humorous, the novel presents a fresh perspective on OCD by placing it alongside everyday teenage realities instead of making it a headline spectacle.
“Kissing Doorknobs” introduces readers to Tara, a girl whose life derails as she becomes consumed by obsessive rituals and fears.
The narrative centers heavily on Tara’s mental state as she counts, prays compulsively, and repeats behaviors to calm her fears and worries—like kissing her bedroom doorknob thirty-three times.
Through candid firsthand narration, Hesser reveals the emotional toll OCD takes on Tara and her family, showing readers how pervasive and limiting the disorder truly is. It’s an honest portrayal of the everyday frustrations of living with anxiety-driven routines.
Holly Bourne’s “Am I Normal Yet?” explores the complexity of mental health and OCD through the experiences of Evie, a teenager desperate for a “normal” high school experience.
Her obsessions focus heavily on cleanliness and contamination, making social experiences, dating, and friendships challenging. The novel captures Evie’s determination to conceal her symptoms, highlighting the stigma that often accompanies OCD.
Evie’s journey is genuine and relatable, clearly illustrating the inner battle of someone facing the anxiety and intrusive thoughts commonly associated with OCD.
“Everything Here Is Beautiful” by Mira T. Lee centers around two sisters—Lucia and Miranda—and Lucia’s mental health journey, which includes symptoms of OCD alongside other mental health challenges. Lucia’s experiences show readers how varied and nuanced OCD can manifest.
The novel authentically portrays her daily battles, her family’s attempts to support her, and the emotional complications arising in relationships.
Lee paints an intricate family story while highlighting the toll a person’s obsessive fears and anxiety-driven thoughts can inflict on loved ones and personal relationships.
Corey Ann Haydu’s “OCD Love Story” portrays Bea, a teenage girl with OCD, who becomes intrigued by Beck, a boy facing similar struggles. Their connection feels genuine, but Haydu makes readers aware of how their obsessions and compulsions complicate relationships.
Bea’s compulsive tracking of another couple exemplifies the intrusive nature of her disorder.
With honesty and clarity, Haydu peels back layers of adolescent romance, highlighting how rituals and anxiety-driven compulsions intertwine both with love and self-identity, reshaping Bea’s understanding of herself and those around her.
In her memoir “Because We Are Bad,” Lily Bailey offers an insightful, vivid account of growing up with severe OCD. Readers are taken into Bailey’s vivid internal experiences as a young girl burdened by intrusive fears and uncontrollable thoughts that disrupt daily activities.
By sharing her most personal challenges—extreme self-doubt, compulsive routines, and overwhelming anxiety—Bailey shows the reader OCD’s isolation and suffering.
The book reveals OCD as deeply impactful, shaping every thought, decision, and social relationship in her life, fostering empathy and deeper understanding.
“Finding Audrey” addresses mental health and OCD with humor and warmth. Audrey is a fourteen-year-old coping with severe anxiety triggered by an incident of bullying at school.
Her struggles to relax, leave the house comfortably, and navigate simple daily tasks show readers the realities of life impacted by obsessive fears and anxiety.
By capturing Audrey’s voice through a compassionate lens, Kinsella illuminates how OCD and social anxiety intertwine, focusing readers’ attention on the healing possibilities of family support and new connections amidst life’s challenges.
“The Goldfish Boy” introduces readers to Matthew, a boy isolating himself due to his severe OCD. His intense fear of germs confines him in his room, where he observes the neighborhood obsessively through the window.
When a toddler next door goes missing, Matthew finds himself struggling to overcome his compulsions and fears enough to help. Through Matthew’s perspective, readers experience firsthand the exhausting constraints of OCD behavior, experiencing intimate fears and compulsions.
Thompson captures both the frustration and emotional heartache of Matthew as he confronts his own limitations.
Spencer Hyde’s “Waiting for Fitz” centers on seventeen-year-old Addie who grapples every day with obsessive and intrusive thoughts that overwhelm her. While at an inpatient mental health facility, Addie meets Fitz, adding complexity to both recovering and romance.
Through Addie’s eyes, readers explore the complexity of OCD symptoms—persistent, invasive thoughts that control daily choices and hinder relationships.
The book provides a heartfelt exploration of the internal difficulties OCD brings, while also considering how meaningful personal connections might shape a person’s path to recovery.
In Adam Silvera’s heartbreaking “History Is All You Left Me,” Griffin, a teenager dealing with severe OCD, mourns his ex-boyfriend Theo, who recently died.
Through Griffin’s mourning process, readers gain insight into how OCD symptoms surface strongly during emotional crises, intensifying obsession, guilt, and anxiety.
Silvera portrays the repetitive rituals and obsessive thought cycles that Griffin utilizes as coping mechanisms, exposing readers to the harsh realities of OCD, grief, and emotional vulnerability combined.
“The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B” revolves around Adam, a teenager with OCD who joins a support group, each member naming themselves after superheroes. Adam’s obsessive worries and anxiety around protecting his loved ones drive his compulsions.
Toten accurately shows Adam’s rituals and thought loops while also allowing humor and friendship to balance the seriousness.
Readers observe Adam’s challenging mental landscapes alongside the undeniable charm and warmth of adolescent love, friendship, and bravery in facing anxieties head-on.
In “Every Last Word,” Samantha struggles to maintain a carefully constructed popular persona while quietly battling severe OCD. Her intrusive negative thoughts intensify anxieties and fears, causing daily internal struggles beneath her outward confidence.
Samantha soon discovers poetry-writing, a lifeline that helps her honestly confront obsessive fears.
Stone creates a character who authentically reveals to readers how isolating OCD can become, especially when hidden behind appearances, offering insight into therapeutic outlets and the power of artistic expression to address obsessive worries.
In “Highly Illogical Behavior,” readers meet Solomon, a teenager overwhelmed by anxiety and agoraphobia, connected to obsessive, intrusive thoughts. His isolation leads Lisa, a driven classmate, to attempt helping him as part of a college essay project.
Whaley captures the complexities of Solomon’s OCD-related worries, particularly fears that trap him indoors.
Through friendships and emotional dynamics, readers clearly observe how OCD symptoms manifest in daily interactions, providing an authentic portrayal of friendship’s possibilities and limits when mental health is deeply affected.